Absolution
by Asumi Yu
Summary: Years after defeating the Reapers Commander Hayley Shepard and Liara T'Soni think they have the opportunity to settle down and have a quiet life.  Soon they realize that nothing is normal in the life of a savior. Massive LotSB spoilers.
1. Prologue

_**T'Soni/Shepard Apartment**_

_**6.8.2192**_

"Where could she be? The wedding is starting in forty minutes and I haven't seen her all day."

"Maybe the Commander is trying to be all traditional, you know. No seeing the bride before the big event. It's a human thing."

"For your information, Asari also have similar customs, I'm not oblivious. It's amazing what you can learn from old vids and educating yourself." Long, exasperated sigh. _Breathe in, breathe out, Liara_. "But Hayley wasn't here when I came back from a quick run to my office, she wasn't in our bed when I woke up, and she still isn't here now."

She instantly regretted her use of a harsh tone with the man in front of her. Joker was only trying to help, having been left in her company to calm her nerves; she was "stuck" with him because of his "wobbly legs" (his words). He wasn't much help with wedding preparations and now he mentioned, "not very good at supplying comical relief." Liara placed one hand on his shoulder and used the other to rub her temple.

"I apologize, I'm just a little...nervous. People everywhere keep insisting that this is the biggest marriage ceremony in decades. Emily Wong recently had a report announcing 'the first human Spectre, savior of the Citadel, defeater of the Reapers to wed Illium's best information dealer and Prothean expert Dr Liara T'Soni. The Citadel and I'm sure the rest of galaxy are just awaiting the news of the expected day!' I had to make sure it never leaked to the public. In addition to that, the extremist group Terra Nova have been planning to invite themselves to our wedding...something about not allowing their human savior to marry an Asari. Have I mentioned yet -"

"Wait, how do you know all this?" Joker raised an eyebrow.

"Just because the Reapers are officially gone doesn't mean I have to give up my role as the Shadow Broker. At least not yet."

"Well, remind me to never use a public bathroom again. I get the feeling I wouldn't be able to get over the paranoia of being watched by one of your cameras."

Liara smirked. Seven years ago she enlisted Shepard's help to take down the original Shadow Broker and free her friend Faron from his two year prison in the Broker's lair. Ever since then she had been using the resources left to her to uncover any secret dealings between the enemies, understand the previous motives of the Collectors and Saren, help give the crew of the SR2 Normandy a warning and final chance against the Reapers, and occasionally doing some unnecessary spying here and there. Claiming the lair also gave her one more added benefit - the chance to reconnect with her lover Commander Hayley Shepard.

It had been two years since Liara and the Commander really had the chance to talk about anything without the fear of it all being tracked by the old Shadow Broker or even the Collectors; she wasn't sure if her previous adversaries were still teamed up against her. She hadn't exactly made friends stealing Shepard's body back after the destruction of the original Normandy, but it had all been worth it. It had taken many months, with little communication as the Commander left for places in space where the Extranet could not be accessed, but the Reapers had finally been vanquished. There was also time needed for the Commander to heal and adjust to normal life again, but Liara made her keep her promise of "marriage, old age, and lots of little blue children." It had been years since peace had reached every edge of the galaxy. The hardest of times seemed to be behind them and now Liara's biggest fear was getting the chance to become more acquainted with Shepard's parents. Captain Hannah seemed kind enough, if a bit stern with little knowledge of the Asari and their culture. If Liara was honest, she would admit that she was slightly terrified of informing the Caption of her and her daughter's plans to carry on the family name. You can explore the galaxy and see everything, but there was still something incredibly awkward about telling your soon to be mother-in-law the specifics of the Asari reproduction system.

Yet, none of this mattered if they couldn't find Shepard and soon. The previous forty minutes had dwindled down to twenty and Liara's anxiety was starting to rise.

"_Joker? Joker? Answer me, Joker. Hello?"_

Joker tapped his headset. "Hey, Tali, what's up?"

"_Something's happened to the Commander, you guys better hurry down and see this."_

He exchanged a worried glance with Liara. "Alright, send me your location and we'll be there right away...or as fast my legs can carry me." He disconnected and looked over at his Asari companion. "What's that look for? What, you think you're going to carry me? ...Uh, wait, wait...!"

With a flash of blue Liara had him up in the air next to her, running as fast as she could towards the nearest cab away from her apartment. She knew something was wrong with her fiancee and it couldn't wait or be delayed from the risk of snapping Joker's legs in half.


	2. Panic Sets In

_A/N: was being weird so I had to upload this chapter a couple times. Anyway..._  
_First off, I would like to say thank you to the people who reviewed the last chapter/told me to correct things; it means a lot to me since this is the first fanfic I've written a good eight years or so. I apologize if anything seems OOC. More reviews are helpful in getting me in back into the swing of writing again - I would totally love some constructive criticism._

_**Illium Transportation Hub**_

_**6.8.2192**_

Navigating through crowds of Krogan, Humans, Turians, and even fussy Hanor was much harder than it looked in a traditional Asari wedding gown, especially with a man who kept calling himself a "cripple", on your arm. In hindsight, Liara should have taken the two short minutes to change, but time was of the essence when it came to Shepard. The woman had a knack for drawing in trouble wherever she went.

_It's quite evident now that all our plans are being postponed to a later date. I thought we had put this sort of business behind us..._

"T'Soni! Joker! Over here!"

Liara pushed her way between a Quarian and a Salarian, with Joker lagging behind her, to be greeted by the grinning face of Operations Chief Ashley Williams. It had been years since her and the Chief met or even had the chance to speak to each other for more than five minutes. Ashley was on Shepard's final crew to confront the Reapers; now both of them considered the other to be their best friend and closest confidant. Liara was sure there were some things she didn't know about her future wife that the Chief did. If Shepard was going to confide in anyone about an undercover mission or need to disappear it would be this soldier previously under her command. Yet, Ashley showed no signs of underlining composure. If anything she looked a bit pale and the grin on her face was a false facade to keep moral up.

The Chief let out a heavy sigh, Liara sensed it was a way to hide the fact that she had worn herself out from too much running. "I'm so glad I found you guys. Things are so hectic right now, like you wouldn't believe."

"What's going on? What happened to Hayley?"

"T'Soni, you know, it's really not that big of deal. Just a little commotion down at the club next door, but nothing to worry about -"

"_Chief, are you there? The results from the blood on the wall at Eternity came back and it's definitely Shepard's. Will you -"_

Ashley gave a nervous laugh as she shut her communicator off, losing the rest of what Tali was going to say. Liara narrowed her eyes. "'Nothing really to worry about'? There's blood spatter from my fiancee on a wall of some club and you tell me _there's nothing to worry about_? She could be hurt or even worse."

"H-hey, Liara, come on. I think the Chief was just try to protect you from anymore stress on a day you were suppose to get married. I hardly doubt she meant any harm in it." Joker's voice quivered a little; he knew he could never hold a strong Biotic back and feared a little for Ashley's life. The mean glare in Liara's eyes definitely gave him the chills. "And c'mon, it's Shepard. A simple crack to the back of the head wouldn't take her out."

"Very well. I would like to speak to the authorities behind the investigation then, see if Eternity has cameras and if they might have caught something."

Ashley was surprised how quickly Liara was able to switch her tone from upset to calm, but knew better than to question her. "Officer Dara and Detective Anaya were already down here asking questions. Things like, 'has the Commander been acting weird lately?' or 'Does she have any known enemies?' Shepard's always been a target for dangerous foes, so I was unsure of how to answer them. I told them to wait until you got here."

The Asari in front of her rested a hand against her chin and took a moment to collect her thoughts. _Has Hayley been acting weird lately? She did seem a little distracted the other day and restless, but I don't know if that's exactly weird. Sometimes memories of the final Reaper battle catch up to her and she needs some alone time. Yet, something about her demeanor seemed off._

_**T'Soni/Shepard Apartment**_

_**6.6.2192**_

Facing her back to Shepard Liara was at the kitchen sink washing some vegetables and preparing dinner. As she pulled two bowls out of the cupboard she made small talk just like they always did before they ate; simple things like "Have you heard about the latest advert for the new Blasto film?" or "Can you believe the Council is actually giving a group of Bartians the okay to search for more red sand right outside of Horizon?"

Occasionally they would switch off on who put together meals in the household, but they would continually use this time to catch up on things and enjoy each other's company. It was a quick break from their fast paced lives. Even though Liara had stopped living in the Shadow Broker base after the Reapers' demise, she still spent most of her days contacting Feron and standing before the terminal in the small study off to the side of the living room. The Commander wouldn't ever say anything, but Liara knew she worried for her health and wished she would give herself time to rest.

With their latest discussion at an end, Shepard simply sat at the kitchen table with a smile on her face, watching Liara closely as she poured two glasses of wine and set them off to side. Feeling the intensity of the stare on her Liara looked over at her lover with a grin to find the amused expression gone. Instead the Commander had her omni-tooled pulled up and her eyebrows knit closely together in a tight line. It wasn't unusual for her to receive strange messages from people asking for help or a report from Councilor Anderson requesting her immediate attendance at the Presidium, but Liara sensed it was something more than that.

"Hayley? Is there something wrong?"

Eventually she received a vague reply, "Oh. It's just a message from the Council wishing us a happy marriage and a lucky wedding day. Who would have thought? Didn't know they cared." The small forced laugh made Liara worry even more.

Shepard quickly changed the subject, asking if everything on Hagalaz was going well and mentioning that it was too bad that Feron couldn't make the wedding. It was obvious she didn't want to talk about whatever she saw on her omni-tool, so Liara didn't bring it up at all through dinner and tried not to think about it until they were upstairs preparing for bed.

Liara was running her hands through Shepard's hair, slowly combing it through and braiding it all the way down her back. "Your hair's gotten awfully long since we first met. I remember it barely touching your shoulders and now it's almost able to reach the bed." The Commander said nothing. "Was it long like this before you enlisted, back when you lived on ships with your parents? I suppose the military doesn't encourage long, flowing hair. I kind of prefer it on you."

It was like talking to a wall; ever since she received that message or whatever it was, Shepard had been uncharacteristically distant. Abruptly she turned to face Liara, ignoring the protests she received from ruining the Asari's handiwork.

Taking her fiancee's hands into her own she asked, "What do you think about me rejoining with the Alliance? Anytime I talk to Anderson he mentions that as soon as I have my speech ready to be made Caption the position is all mine. I've been considering it for the past couple weeks now, but never thought to bring it up."

Liara studied Shepard's face closely, blue eyes locking onto green, before answering, "What makes you bring it up now?"

"I've been wondering...no, worrying...about our future and what it's going to be like. I haven't been doing much work lately, outside of helping you with dealings concerning the Shadow Broker. But we can't live like this forever, this isn't the sort of lifestyle you raise children on. We need a reliable constant sort of income and reenlisting seems like the only smart choice to get it. Anderson promises he'll have me on the highest paid missions and will only require me to go on tours once a year. I'll still be able to see you, I won't ever be far."

"What are you asking of me? To shut down the network and all the connections we have? I can't do that, _you know I can't do that_. We've worked so hard to get this far, I've never seen so many credits before. We could use this information and pass it down to future generations even."

"But you told me when we obtained the lair that you would only use it for good and to get me information on the Reapers. You promised me that you would remain honest. The Reapers are all gone, Liara...they have been for years. There's no reason to keep going on like this, soon you're going to start losing yourself and I'd have to stop you." She paused, trying to find the right words that wouldn't offend. "It would break my heart to do that. And what about when you're pregnant and if someone tries to go after you?"

"That's what I have you for, right? My knight in shining armor, as you humans call it?"

"This is serious. What if I can't be there? What if someone tries another attack on the apartment like Vasir did and you happen not to have your barriers up? Can you really risk exerting yourself and possibly harming our child, just for the sake of some information?"

The Asari put her hands up and let out a long sigh. "Okay, okay. I'll think about it and speak to Feron later about maybe taking over after we get back from our honeymoon." She watched her lover's face relax and figured now was the perfect time to ask. "Hayley, you would tell me if something was really bothering you, right? Something more serious than all of this? Something say, life threatening?"

"Didn't we agree that since we already have everyone else's secrets we have to make sure we don't keep any secrets from each other?"

That wasn't exactly the answer Liara was looking for, but she knew she wouldn't be able to get anything more out of Shepard. She would tell when she was ready, just like always. The woman was used to keeping secrets of ancient machines and centuries old species locked away in her mind, out of fear and frustration of no one believing her. Maybe if she didn't block her mind off, Liara could see what was wrong later in a melding and spare the Commander the discomfort of having to admit anything.

Shepard took Liara's hands into her own again and placed her lips close to her ear. "I love you. I have for over ten years and soon you'll be legally all mine. Just you and me _forever._"

The tone in her voice sent small shivers down the Asari's spine. "And I love you. Us meeting under strange and dangerous circumstances, this connection, these years, going through the effort to bring you back, everything. It was worth it and I can't help but think all of this is simply destiny. I wouldn't change it for anything."

"Neither would I."

Shepard backed away again and released her hold on the other woman. Getting up off the bed she threw her hair over her shoulders and went to grab a coat from their closet. "I have to go take care of some things, I won't be gone long. Don't wait up for me, you need your rest. I know you've been up all day looking over last minute preparations for the wedding and trying to balance intel at the same time. You think I haven't been watching, but I see you trying to hide yawns and those big heavy sighs."

Liara snorted. "I'll try not to stay up past my bedtime, Mother."

"That's my girl." Shepard teased as she leaned over for a quick kiss. 

_**Illium Police Station **_**  
**_**6.8.2192**_

"...and that's it? That's the last time you saw her?"

"Yes, Detective. There was no fighting with neither one of us storming out of the apartment, no nasty messages sent, nothing. Everything I'm saying is true." Liara's patience was waning, her words clipping short. She'd spent the last four hours with Illium's "best in the force" answering question after question, retelling her story for the seventh time. She'd had enough.

"Why didn't you look up the message the Commander got yourself?" Detective Anaya asked.

"You honestly believe I didn't think of that? You think the Savior of the Known Galaxy is just going to leave her omni-tool laying around for anything to access? We may live together, but she never takes that thing off. On top of that, she probably has several encryptions on it that would take me weeks to unlock..." Liara stopped herself, having a moment of realization. "I'm sorry, Detective, but I need some time to collect my thoughts. Could you contact me if anything changes?"

"Of course." Anaya held out her hand, but Liara ignored it. She didn't have another second to waste for casualties, something needed to be done now.

She raced past the rest of the crew and boarded the quickest taxi back to the apartment without another word. _I only hope that you can forgive me, Hayley, when this is all over. I never meant to break your trust as I am about at this very moment, but it's come to this and I don't know what else to do. Oh, Goddess, give me the strength to pull though._


End file.
